Featuring: Thor
Release: June 30, 1966
Cover: September 1966
12 cents
Astonishing script: Stan Lee
Awesome artwork: Jack Kirby
Artful delineation: Vince Colletta
Amazing lettering: Sam Rosen
Alien translations: Irving Forbush
16 pages
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| Thor #131, Story B | Reading order | Thor #132, Story B |
| Thor #131, Story B | Thor | Thor #132, Story B |
Already the Stygian darkness looming ahead… blotting out the comforting glow of a thousand stars…!
Where were we. While Thor was fighting Pluto in the Netherworld, Jane’s roommate Tana Nile sent her away with mind control. Tana Nile has since been revealed as a Rigellian and conquered earth via a Space Lock from Rigel. Thor has traveled to Rigel to destroy the Space Lock.
The Rigellians have some pretty advanced technology, and aren’t used to losing. But Thor is Thor.
He faces off with the Indestructible.
Meanwhile, a Rigellian space cruiser is destroyed by a power from the Black Galaxy, something the Rigellians constantly mention that they fear in a bit of foreshadowing. Thor has given them something new to fear.
Though they retain the smug superiority you need in order to think colonizing is a good idea.
They come to a truce. The Rigellians convince Thor that what lurks in the Black Galaxy also menaces Earth, and that they will free Earth if Thor helps deal with it. Not sure they were in much of a position to bargain but it seems to work.
Small interlude to check on Jane. She meets a man we’ll come to know as Porgia.
I think the Rigellians are cool. Even cooler is the Recorder. He bears some resemblance to the Watcher, but he’s an android whose function is to record. He becomes Thor’s companion.
And inside the Black Galaxy… is not a universe but a bio-verse. I don’t know exactly what that means.
By definition, a galaxy is a group of stars that are very close together. Apparently this Black Galaxy is like a galaxy without stars. So not sure what any of this means, really.
Within this bio-verse… Ego, introduced with a very cool photo collage.
He seems to be a living planet.
He’s a planet. But he’s got a face. And he talks. In space.
I’m excited.
Rating: ★★★★☆, 72/100
Significance: ★★★★☆
This gets onto the Best We’ve Read because I like the Recorder and Ego. It takes a slot from X-Men #15, the middle chapter of the Sentinels saga which features the origin of the Beast.
I read this story in Thor Epic Collection vol. 3: The Wrath of Odin.
Characters:
- Thor
- Tana Nile
- Indestructible
- Observer 3B-Y
- Grand Commissioner of Rigel
- Jane Foster
- Recorder
- Ego
Story notes:
- Title: Rigel “Where Gods May Fear to Tread!”
- As ship approaches Rigel, it’s contacted by Sky-Station 14-R and ordered to identify itself. Thor compares it to a toll booth.
- Thor describes his rank as “Prince of Asgard” and his heritage as “God of Thunder”.
- Rigellians form bridge of ion-packed atoms to cross from sky station to ship.
- Mind Thrust fails against Thor.
- Rigellians deploy Anti-Personnel Blasters; Thor responds with Uru hammer.
- A Group Mind Defense of combined Mind Thrusts is able to stop hammer’s motion. But they are unable to destroy it, even with force intensified to Cremation Level and peak intensity.
- Thor describes his hammer as having the ability to shatter a sun.
- Tana Nile’s Wrist Computoscope confirms Space Lock beam has encircled Earth.
- Tana Nile wishes to be addressed as Empress, as Tana the First.
- Tana Nile intends to abolish Earth’s governments and take control; she orders police officer to take her to United Nations and offers him role of Imperial Chauffeur to the Colonial Empress.
- The Indestructible speaks in hyphenated text.
- Indestructible’s ray disperses molecules of Thor’s ship, making wall dissolve into nothingness.
- Indestructible’s ultimate weapon is Gamma-Powered Immobilizer Beam. Even the Indestructible cannot withstand its touch. Of course, Thor turns the beam on itself.
- Rigel space cruiser destroyed by deadly beam from the Black Galaxy.
- From Rigel Central Control, Grand Commissioner of Rigel watches the disaster on Elecronic Viso-Scanners, considering complex radarscopic symbols.
- Grand Commissioner orders attendant to activate the Official Matter Transmitter (also called Structural Dissembler) to speed him to the Power Planetoid.
- It takes seconds to transport himself from home world to closely-guarded Power Planetoid.
- Observo-Lenses track Thor’s approach.
- Grand Commissioner blames Tana Nile for not reporting Earth had so mighty a defender.
- Before Thor can destroy Space Lock, he is caught in Tractor Force which pulls him to Power Planetoid.
- Grand Commissioner leads Thor to Tower of Telescopes.
- Grand Commissioner agrees to free Earth if Thor deals with menace within Black Galaxy
- Recorder sent to accompany Thor.
- Jane Foster compelled to take plane. Person next to her also had no other choice.
- Recorder: non-cellular humanoid, immortal thinking machine, incapable of emotion.
- Normally ships entering Black Galaxy are attacked by blast rays. Thor is not, perhaps because he is not a Colonizer.
- Recorder computes they are in a Bio-Verse.
| Previous | #538 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Thor #131, Story B | Reading order | Thor #132, Story B |
| Thor #131, Story B | Thor | Thor #132, Story B |
I love Tana Nile, the Recorder and the Rigellians, they are very funny characters with a lot of charisma. Also, I like seeing when Thor shows his full power, basically crushing everything they have to throw at him.
I think that from here, we are going to see the best that the combination of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee has for Thor, in a memorable run… Although we are also going to see Thor in stories that continue without rest, with true Asgardian epics that They won’t leave him time to appear in other titles or hang out with the Avengers.
I agree it’s good to see Thor be powerful. Which means either facing threats like Ego worthy of his power. Or showing that the Rigellians really aren’t a match for him.
A big improvement over the days when Thor acted like Cobra was a serious threat to him.